George Herbert Wyman (1860 – 1939) was an American
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
, best known for his involvement in construction of the
Bradbury Building
The Bradbury Building is an architectural landmark in downtown Los Angeles, California, United States. Built in 1893, the five-story office building is best known for its extraordinary skylit atrium of access walkways, stairs and elevators, an ...
at 304 South Broadway in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
Life and career
![Bradbury building Los Angeles c2005 01383u](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Bradbury_building_Los_Angeles_c2005_01383u.jpg)
Wyman was born in
Dayton
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
, the son of Ellen “Nellie” J. (née Rutledge) and Gustavus J. Wyman. On leaving school, he was apprenticed in the architects office of his uncle, Luthor Peters. He moved to Los Angeles in 1891 where he worked as a
draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to:
* An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century
* An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...
in the offices of
Sumner Hunt.
In 1892, Hunt was approached by the mining millionaire
Lewis Bradbury to construct a landmark building for a site in downtown Los Angeles. Disappointed with Hunt's design, Bradbury took the surprising step of asking the young Wyman to design the building, despite the fact that Wyman had no formal qualifications as an architect, and had not previously designed a building.
[Barragan, Bianca]
"The Weird Occult Origins of Downtown LA's Famous Bradbury Building"
, ''Curbed LA'', 17 July 2015. Accessed 7 June 2016. The reasons for this choice are still unclear, but it has been suggested that Bradbury was inspired by some sketches that Wyman had been working on.
Wyman had been toying with the design of a futuristic building described in
Edward Bellamy
Edward Bellamy (March 26, 1850 – May 22, 1898) was an American author, journalist, and political activist most famous for his utopian novel ''Looking Backward''. Bellamy's vision of a harmonious future world inspired the formation of numerou ...
's science fiction novel and social commentary, ''
Looking Backward
''Looking Backward: 2000–1887'' is a utopian science fiction novel by Edward Bellamy, a journalist and writer from Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts; it was first published in 1888.
The book was translated into several languages, and in short o ...
: From 2000-1887'' (chapter 10).
In the
utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
n society of the year 2000 the hero is taken to visit a commercial store:
With the exception of the fountain, the description neatly fits the interior which Wyman achieved in the Bradbury building just six years after Bellamy's book was published.
This narrative has been contested by John Crandell, who claims that the original story was unsubstantiated and relied on a single testimony from Wyman's daughters.
[Rasmussen, Cecilia]
"Sifting Myth From History at the Bradbury"
, ''LA Times'', 21 May 2000. Accessed 7 June 2016.
According to a story told by Wyman's grandson, the famous sci-fi figure
Forrest J Ackerman
Forrest James Ackerman (November 24, 1916 – December 4, 2008) was an American magazine editor; science fiction authors, science fiction writer and literary agent; a founder of science fiction fandom; a leading expert on science fiction, horror ...
, Wyman was troubled by the responsibility of taking on the commission. Both he and his wife Belle were
Spiritualists
Spiritualism is the metaphysics, metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and Mind-body dualism, dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spir ...
, and the couple decided to consult the spirits for guidance. Using a
planchette
A planchette ( or ), from the French for "little plank", is a small, usually heart-shaped flat piece of wood equipped with two wheeled casters and a pencil-holding aperture pointing downwards, used to facilitate automatic writing. The use of ...
, a device similar to a
Ouija board
The ouija ( , ), also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and grap ...
, they traced out the message
:''Mark Wyman take the Bradbury building and you will be... Successful.''
Mark Wyman was George's younger brother, who had died at the age of 8. At first, they had trouble reading the final word, as it was written upside down in relation to the rest of the message.
As a result, Wyman accepted the commission, and Bradbury was pleased with the drawings and plans for a five-story building at the corner of Broadway and Third Street. The building was completed a year later in 1893 although costs spiralled from $175,000 to $500,000, largely as a result of Bradbury specifying the best quality materials for all aspects of the construction.
The Bradbury building was met with critical acclaim, including a positive review in ''Arts and Architecture'' magazine. However, it was Wyman's only major success. In the following years, Wyman received numerous commissions for new buildings. He decided to bolster his qualification with an architectural correspondence course, but this seems to have turned him away from using interior light as an architectural element. His office buildings took on a heavy solid style and most have subsequently been demolished, whilst the Bradbury building is still much celebrated. A particular question is why did Esther McCoy not consult a single primary source of information other than the allegation of Wyman's relatives, their claim that George had worked for Sumner Hunt. John Crandell's claim contradicting McCoy's whole thesis is thoroughly based upon primary source information circa 1890s. He has never come across a single piece of evidence that Wyman ever worked directly for Hunt prior to Hunt's election to retain Wyman's services as executive architect for the Byrne Building nine months following completion of the Bradbury. The continued claim of Wyman having been the design architect for the Bradbury Building is one of the most fatuous allegations in the history of Los Angeles.
Cultural influence
Fittingly, given its original inspiration from 19th century science fiction, the building is perhaps best known for its appearance in
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...
's science fiction film ''
Blade Runner
''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...
'', where the decayed and dilapidated interior was used at the location for the home of the toymaker and android designer Sebastien. The building has since been restored, and the exterior is completely different from the sets used in the film
Homage to downtown: in search of place and memory in ancient L.A.- ''Sumner, Esther and George ~ The Bradbury, Reconsidered''.
The Bradbury Building has also featured as a location in several other Hollywood films, including ''M'' (1951), ''
Double Indemnity
''Double Indemnity'' is a 1944 American crime film noir directed by Billy Wilder, co-written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, and produced by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Sistrom. The screenplay was based on James M. Cain's 1943 novel of the same ...
'', ''Marlowe'', ''
D.O.A.
DOA may refer to:
* Dead on arrival
* Dead or Alive (disambiguation)
Film
* ''D.O.A.'' (1949 film), a ''film noir''
* ''D.O.A.'' (1988 film), a remake of the 1949 film
* '' D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage'' (1980 film), a documentary on the gene ...
'', ''
Chinatown
A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
'', ''
The Perfect Sleep
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'', ''Wolf'', ''The Artist'' and ''
Lethal Weapon 4
''Lethal Weapon 4'' is a 1998 American buddy cop action film directed and produced by Richard Donner, and starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, and Jet Li (in his international film debut). It is the fourth insta ...
'' and TV shows like ''
City of Angels'' and ''
The Outer Limits''.
References
External links
Biography at ArtnetUSC description of the Bradbury buildingincluding photographs
Chapter titled "The Bradbury, Reconsidered" within monograph titled ''Homage To Downtown ~ In Search of Place and Memory in Ancient L.A.''John Crandell author. Ref. desk, LAPL history department.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyman, George
19th-century American architects
1860 births
1939 deaths
Artists from Dayton, Ohio
Architects from Ohio
Architects from Los Angeles